


Feel It Under Your Skin

by UisceOneLove



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clubbing, Dancing, F/F, M/M, Malia likes to party, School dances confuse Malia, Stiles doesn't have a filter, awkward kira
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 14:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5874010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UisceOneLove/pseuds/UisceOneLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Malia didn’t understand school dances.</p>
<p>Now clubs, yes, she could understand those. Clubs were places with good music that you could let go and have fun at; let your instincts move you. Like the one down in Mexico. The events leading up to and after it weren’t the best times of her life, but still. She’s experienced worse anyways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feel It Under Your Skin

Malia didn’t understand school dances.

Now clubs, yes, she could understand those. Clubs were places with good music that you could let go and have fun at; let your instincts move you. Like the one down in Mexico. The events leading up to and after it weren’t the best times of her life, but still. She’s experienced worse anyways.

But school dances, on the other hand? They sounded like nothing but overrated popularity contests. To her they did, at least. Which Lydia was not at all okay with.

“They’re not popularity contests.” Lydia said with an exasperated eyeroll. The rest of the pack wisely chose not to get involved with this newest battle; Scott and Stiles kept their gazes down on their trays of food while Kira tried to look like she wasn’t interested in the conversation. Meaning that it looked completely obvious. Even Liam and Mason were failing to hold up their conversation about something called Mortal Kombat.

Malia was unconvinced. The coyote picked up a “chicken tender” and inspected it; what was the point of giving food names that are so misleading? It didn’t even smell like chicken.

“There’s a Winter Court, isn’t there?” she asked the redhead as she let the fake chicken drop back onto the tray. “People vote for who gets in it, don’t they? And then people run to win the king and queen?”

The looks that lured out from the others weren’t sly like they tried. Everyone was well aware of Lydia’s efforts to get that prestigious title, Stiles spent the last few weeks being her lap dog taping up fliers all over the school.

The banshee’s eyes narrowed, a warning blaring through them. It went over Malia’s head. Or she didn’t care. Either possibility worked with the situation. “That,” Lydia’s tone made each consonant sharp, “is part of the fun. Plastic crowns and a dance. It’s all about being there with your friends, or a significant other, and having a good time together.”

“Yeah, Lydia and I went together as friends sophomore year!” Stiles piped up, grimacing when she and Scott gave him a sharp look. “Well, it was when she was still into Jackson…and then Peter kinda attacked her…and then Allison’s dad tried to kill Scott….”

“Dude.” Scott shook his head helplessly.

“So we’ve had set backs the last couple of years.” Lydia clarified, dangerous eyes on a withering Stiles before she turned a tight smile onto Malia. “This year will be different. We all need a good time.”

“I don’t do formal.” Malia said flatly.

“If it helps, someone will probably try to spike the punch bowl.” Mason offered up.

“That’d be great if weres could get drunk.” Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Wolfsbane seemed to work.” Scott pointed out grimly. Malia knew what he was thinking about, Liam did too. Since then she’s always brought her own carefully laced booze to parties or turns it into a game when she can get into clubs and bars.

“The point is,” Lydia spoke up again, “all of us could go and have fun as a group. Just dance, watch Stiles inhale all the food before anyone else has a chance to try it, have a new memory to add to your life as a human.”

“I wouldn’t eat _all_ of it!” Stiles defended indignantly. “I’d save some for Scott to have so that we can do some The Lady and The Tramp spaghetti scene stuff!”

“Stiles.” Scott groaned.

“What?” he huffed. “I can be romantic.”

“I don’t want to go, Lydia.” Malia repeated. “I’d rather stay home.”

The coyote rose from the table without another word and walked off. She didn’t see the disappointed look that a certain kistune was giving to her back.

* * *

 

Avoiding conversations about the Winter Formal was impossible. Every single person seemed to be talking about it. There was no way to get them all to shut up; no matter how many glares Malia gave. It all grated on her nerves so much that during her math class Lydia had to keep supplying new pencils because of how many she snapped in half. 

Malia still didn’t see why it was such a bad thing that she wanted nothing to do with a formal dance. Don’t they make you wear frilly dresses and heels? Why would she want aching feet or something that doesn’t let her sit the way she wants to?

Either way, the coyote knew that there was only a week left to listen to this crap before the dance comes and goes. Then she can go through her day without it being mentioned again. Until that thing they call Prom. Malia wasn’t looking forward to that one either.

So maybe that’s why she decided that going to Sinema was a better option for her night. Coyotes needed to cut loose. It was a long and stressful day; she was treating herself. Plus it was a Friday night. Isn’t this what human teenagers are supposed to do with their weekends? Malia didn’t wear anything special for the club; just her favorite pair of denim mini shorts and purple long sleeved shirt. And her ankle boots, can’t forget those. Hayden was the one who helped her slip inside unnoticed (she interrogated Mason and Liam about how to do it) and joined the mass of dancing bodies.

Malia didn’t recognize the clips projecting on the screens, nor the music, but it was all-hypnotic. The beat was mellow and radiated in her chest the further inside she got. The lights would have made her dizzy if she tried to follow them all. The sweating, undulating bodies on the dance floor pulled her in. It was easy for her to let go like all the times before and let her nature guide her through.

It was never about finding someone to dance with, or hooking up with someone she found esthetically attractive. Dancing was her way of being able to connect with her coyote without the shift. Which was something she still couldn’t fully do. The music brought the instincts up to the forefront and let her go on without a care. Connections were meaningless. Now that didn’t mean she _wouldn’t_ dance with someone. That was also a natural thing. It just meant she didn’t find someone so far worth noticing as a real dance partner. Sometimes Malia would find herself thinking back to when she’d pulled Kira in to dance with her down in Mexico. That was all for the purposes of blending in for Derek’s sake but there was still a spark there that she hadn’t been able to put a name to at the time because of how fleeting it was. She just knew enough to say that she wanted to do it again.

The songs always blended together into one long track. Malia never kept a close eye on the changes between each one since it wasn’t important to her. The time passed by in the blink of an eye. Were stamina kept her from getting tired so there weren’t many breaks on her part except the two for drinks. It was a sea of people on the floor. Faces all blurred together as did their bodies moving around as if on a synchronized formation. Though there were many who were off, as told by the partner pushing them away or having no interest to begin with. None of this had Malia searching the crowd. However, what _did_ have her searching was the sudden whiff of a familiar—and completely unexpected—scent.

As she moved after the scent, the lights went out. It was only a second and then the strobe lights began. Moving was like slow motion, getting bits and pieces with each flash of light splashing against the world around her. The trail led her deep into the center of the dancers. First she saw the raven black hair gleam under the strobe lights. Then the awkward movement of limbs from a beat that couldn’t be caught. Malia’s eyes closed on dark almond shaped eyes lastly as she got a few feet away.

When Kira’s vision focused on who was in front of her, the kitsune came to a clattered halt.

“Malia!” she exclaimed over the music. “How did you--?”

“Liam’s girlfriend.” Malia replied, was that supposed to be some big deal or secret?

“Oh.” Kira said lamely. She laughed nervously and ran a hand through her hair. “Right. Me too.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Scott?” Malia tilted her head.

“I was.” She nodded quickly. “But then Stiles came over and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”

When was the last time those two _didn’t_ have their hands all over each other? You’d think that they were going through some forced separation. Malia recalled the last time Scott’s mom threatened that in front of everyone, all over some grades or something. Stiles looked like she’d hit him on the nose with a newspaper or said Star Trek was better than Star Wars. Malia didn’t know what either of those were but after the way Stiles reacts with Scott not knowing, she didn’t plan on saying anything. It spares her the unnecessary headache.

Kira reclaimed Malia’s attention when she was grabbed the arms and had desperate eyes staring her right in the face.

“You can’t tell anyone about this.” Kira insisted urgently. The fear coming off the fox was almost suffocating with their close proximity. It made the coyote’s face scrunch as she moved Kira back.

“Why not?”

“Because my parents think I’m still at Scott’s studying and if the others knew this is where I am then my dad will hear about it and I’ll be grounded for eternity—which is possible for a kitsune, apparently—and I can say goodbye to my personal—“

“I won’t tell the others.” Malia cut in. It was obvious to her that Kira never stopped overthinking things.

Kira’s face lit up with hope. “Really?”

“Yeah.” The coyote shrugged. “As long as it means you relax and have fun.”

“I was.” She furrowed her brows.

“No. You weren’t.”

As a new song began to play, Malia grabbed Kira’s hands and pulled her into a new area of the crowd. Much like in Mexico, the kitsune looked like a tensed up wreck.

“It’s called having fun.” Malia told her over the music. “So stop thinking about it and do whatever the music tells you.”

Kira nodded jerkily. The advice still didn’t help much. There was only so much a girl could do with this. Malia was naturally in her own zone, but again, she needed more. She was after the connection with the kitsune from before. Like their animals recognizing each other and trying to work with one another. Maybe it was something else, but she didn’t know for sure yet. So she tried what she did before, guiding Kira’s hands to places, leading her into the dancing. All she could really say for the kitsune was that she was trying. But the way she was doing it kept making her think. Malia could see the thoughts circling around in her head.

It wasn’t until halfway through whatever they were listening to that something looked like it clicked. The focused look on the kitsune’s face melted away. Malia could smell the anxiety taper off as the endorphins kicked in. And there was a little something extra that came out of her smile. Kira was less angles and unsure movements.

The connection was electric as their dance melded into the same tandem unit. As the music and strobes faded from Malia’s mind. She couldn’t tell if she was breathless, or if her eyes were glowing much like Kira’s were. Each pounding beat of the base that worked through them brought them closer. Bodies touching, smiles a breath away, and laughter from the intoxicating adrenaline that the music brought them.

And that’s when Malia felt more.

It wasn’t like the world stopped or anything. And it wasn’t some impulse that she was following after. Nor was it because of the endorphin rush or whatever Lydia liked to call it. Things merely changed from how they’d been the first time around in Mexico. The heat from their bodies so close was simply inviting, and the kitsune’s scent was a little sweeter. Arousal and curiosity were newer scents that she’d learned to pick up since Scott and Stiles worked with her. Smelling it coming off of Kira wasn’t planned or expected.

What was also not planned? Malia liked it. If Kira was able to do what she could, then the same thing would be lingering from her, too.

The bass turned up when the song hit its chorus but that wasn’t on Malia’s mind. She couldn’t care less what song was playing or that everyone around them was turning more into the jumping and flailing of dancing. The coyote’s focus was honed in on Kira. She watched Kira’s face fill with surprise as she closed off the remaining distance and pressed their lips together.

Sparks weren’t what she was after. It was the instinct and drive that came from their interest and a need to take a natural step forward. Kira’s lips were soft and tasted like the honey lip balm she’d always rub on five times a day. Despite the surprise of the fox, there wasn’t any tension or resistance at all. Kira was open; taking in the kiss and giving a tentative push back. Their dancing didn’t stop and neither did their mouths. It spurred them on, actually, like it was another step added on to their movements. Other clubbers could look on if they wanted to. They didn’t matter. They were already gone from the small bubble that was now the girls.

Malia never thought she’d find a Mate. That wasn’t the side of her nature that she’d looked to during the years of solitude and survival. Being human was just another passage of time that she’d been thrown into and used to try and get back to that pure animal form. Attraction hadn’t been any form of a priority. She didn’t get dating or relationships since it meant a lot of confusing things to her that were brought on by the unlearned social cues. What she could get behind though, was the trust that had been mutual between her and Kira from the moment they joined Scott’s pack. Kira was honestly one of the select few that she’d be willing to protect instead of just leaving her for dead. This wasn’t that bad either.

If there was anyone she’d think of, then Kira might be the one she’d consider for a Mate.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope it was enjoyed, might add a part two to this.


End file.
